Day 10: Wadi Rum - Richard of Arabia

In southern Jordan there's a desert called Wadi Rum, which means "if you get lost in me you will die, haha." It's like nothing I've ever seen before. If you knocked me out, drove me one hour from Aqaba to Wadi Rum, and woke me up, I would have thought you flew me to another planet. The landscape is that stark and that dramatic. This is the desert where T.E. Lawrence stood fast durng the Arabic Revolt during World War I, and it was also where the film "Lawrence of Arabia" was filmed.

My traveling companion and I headed to the bus stop at about 7:30 AM, only to be informed by a taxi driver that the only bus to Wadi Rum had already departed, but that he would take us to Wadi Rum. Sure, we thought. That's exactly what happened. I asked nearby stores when the bus departs, but they weren't sure. A plot, I say! A clever ploy to take my money! Surely he would share some commission with these store owners later. Alas, his charge wasn't that much higher than the bus if it was split two ways, so we just shrugged our shoulders and left with him.

On the way he asked us if we would like him to come back and pick us up. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Sure. We sort of nodded without any eagerness and were sent our way for a fee marginally higher than bus tickets. At the visitor's center I asked the man behind the desk when the bus would leave for Aqaba. He looked at me curiously and said the only bus that ran had already arrived that day and departed. He then suggested that we take a taxi home. Hrm. Honest taxi driver. Because this is Jordan, not Egypt.

We took a jeep safari around Wadi Rum. Yeah, like I said before, just other-worldly. If the lagoon in the Marshall Islands is a million different shades of green, blue, and turquoise, then the dessert of Wadi Rum is a million different shades of red, orange, and yellow. It's really awesome. One of the rock formations looked like it was melting. Our guide told us that when it rains, it rains very heavily so the water pools on top of the rock formations, overflows, and gushes over the sides and down, thus creating the melting-candle effect. Wow.

Look how cool this is.

And this.

Caravan going somewhere.

I climbed this sand dune. It was not cold.

After gawking at Wadi Rum sufficiently, we decided it was time to leave and called our wonderfully honest taxi driver to pick us up. He said that we didn't seem interested in a return trip that morning and had picked up other passengers. That's what we get for being distrusting assholes. After waiting around a little bit, another taxi rolled up to drop off a tourist and agreed to take us home. Here's the conversation between him and my traveling companion on the way home:

Driver: What is your name?
Liz: Liz.
Driver: My name is Bassim.
Liz: Hello Bassim.
(pause)
Bassim: Liz, I love you.
(pause)
Liz: Thanks.
Bassim: I have a room at my house. No family. 20 dinars a night. Do you want it?
Liz: No thanks.
(pause)
Bassim: I have a room at my house. Do you want it?
Liz: No thanks.
(pause)
Bassim: So, what time should I pick you up this evening?
Liz: For what?
Bassim: For the room at my house.

I guess not all taxi drivers are created equally, not even in Jordan. More World Cup tonight. For whatever reason, Jordan is very pro-Germany.